Our Story

Beginnings. . .

The driving force that sustains and gave rise to Voces y Manos por el Derecho a la Salud (Voices and Hands for the Right to Health) is the people of Rabinal, Guatemala. In 2007, co-founder Michael Bakal volunteered with the human rights organization Fundación Nueva Esperanza (FNE) through an American Jewish World Service Program. Deeply inspired by the Foundation’s advocacy for culturally relevant health care and education, he returned the following summer to work with FNE and other community-based organizations to coordinate a health fair.

The experience of 2007 demonstrated the power of a bottom-up approach that connects the resources of universities to the local organizations who can put them to good use. To sustain the partnerships developed in 2007, Michael and close friend and fellow UCSD student Jessica Nicholas founded Voces y Manos as a student organization. Drawing inspiration from the work of the People’s Health Movement and Partners in Health, Jessica and Michael sought to involve pre-health students in a volunteer experience rooted in a framework of justice and solidarity.

In 2008, Jessica and Michael kept in close correspondence with community partners Fundación Nueva Esperanza and the Association of Community Health Service Workers (ASECSA). Together, they developed a plan to do three community health fairs and a series of training programs designed to empower local youth and comadronas (traditional midwives) to improve community health conditions. A team of eight undergraduate and medical students, along with UCSD School of Medicine Professor, Dr. Bron Anders, traveled to Rabinal to collaborate

Summer 2008:

Finding our Niche

During the summer of 2008—the beginning of our formal partnerships—we set out to define our role as a North American organization working in Guatemala. Given the sanguinary history of US medical, military, and economic intervention in Guatemala, we made a conscious effort to avoid giving the impression that we viewed ourselves as “outside experts” possessing the solutions to local people’s problems. The health fairs were instead a grassroots effort. Local organizations, and indigenous community leaders determined what core services would be provided, and publicized the event through their churches and schools. North American volunteers participated in meetings, assisted in publicity, and worked directly with youth in preparation for the health fairs. Upon returning to the United States, volunteers sought to share the results of our work and mobilize future support within their universities.

The Start of Our Scholarship Program

The youth training—co-sponsored by ASECSA and Fundación Nueva Esperanza—left such a big impact on everyone involved that it shifted the entire direction of our work. The planned 3-day workshop metamorphosed into a core group of 15 youth who worked 4 to 5 days per week to coordinate a special youth component of the community health fairs. The youth wrote and performed a skit about the importance of gender equality and home hygiene in preventing sickness.

The experience of playing such an active role in working to transform their communities inspired this group of young leaders. Five of them decided to continue developing independent community projects after the Voces y Manos program formally ended. One of the students from that initial group, Edelman Ramiro Ramirez, went on to serve on a youth advisory board to Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a scholarship to study at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba where he is currently in his second year studying to become a doctor. Witnessing these students’ remarkable dedication, we began to discuss with Fundación Nueva Esperanza the idea of creating a scholarship program to further support the youth in pursuit of their dreams. This scholarship program was formally launched in December of 2008, benefiting an initial group of 5 students to pursue careers in nursing and elementary education.

2008-Present

Promoting Global Health at UC San Diego

From 2008 through 2010, Voces y Manos has continued to expand its impact, both in Guatemala and the US. At UCSD, we started a course through the Third World Studies department at UCSD called “Contemporary Issues in Global Health.” Co-taught with faculty in the departments of Sociology and Medicine, the class provides a critical space for students to reflect on international volunteer work within the contexts of global health and power. “Contemporary Issues in Global Health” was recently added to the list of approved courses to earn a minor under UCSD’s Global Health Initiative.

Ongoing Work in Guatmeala

In Guatemala during the summers of 2009 and 2010, Voces y Manos has continued its work coordinating community health fairs and supporting youth. In 2009, dental care was added as one of the core services provided at the community health fairs. Meanwhile, the Scholarship Program continued to grow and improve. At the request of Fundación Nueva Esperanza, we approved funding for weekly mathematics tutoring for all our scholarship recipients. Currently, 14 students are being supported with full scholarships to study careers that will allow them to become leaders of tomorrow. View profiles of the students and find out more about their community projects and schooling experiences here.

In addition to the ongoing work with the health fairs and scholarship program, we are in the processing of registering as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.